If you're looking for a colorful, happy, family portrait, don't ask me; go to K-Mart or something.
A good portrait is timeless. Yet if a photograph captures a moment in time, how can it be timeless? And more so, why would you want it to be timeless?
Perhaps a better term would be ageless. Standing the test of time. A good portrait is not dated by temporal styles, fashions, or technical aspects of the way in which it was produced.
A good portrait is as relevant today as it will be in 100 years. Yet most individual or family portraits from the last 30-40 years have been taken at portrait "studios" (more like factories) where you can place the image in time, if not from the backdrop used then through the clothing and/or hair styles of the subjects.
Portraits are something I'm trying to get a handle on, and my favorite portrait photographer is Tom Millea. His nudes and landscapes are great too, but some of his portraits are just amazing.
[ photograph above: my first "good" portrait -- Ruth, 2002 ]
